The clarion., 1887-10-12

N-tAt1A tgl<AAC5 " HlAO ttI what
ton is. / viii read you the definition:
justification is purely forensic act,
the act of judge sitting in the forum,
III which the Supreme Ruler and Judge,
who is accountable to none, and who
alone knows the manner in which the
ends Of His universal government can
best be obtained, reckons that which was
done by the substitute in the same man
ner as if it had been done by those who
believe in the substitute, and not on
account of anything done by them, but
purely on account of this gracious method
Of reckoning, grants them the full remis-
sion Of their sins. -
Now, what is Justifcations win tell
you what justification is-when a sinner
believes God lets him off One summer
IN Connecticut ] went 10 a large factory,
and ! saw over the door written the words:
mo Admittance. / entered and saw
over the next door: ''No Admittance -
Of course ] entered. ] got inside and
found IL a pin factory, and they were
making pins, very serviceable, fine and
useful pins. So the spirit of exclusiveness
has practically written over the outside
door Of many church, No Admittance -
And If the stranger enters he finds prac-
tically written over the second door: INC
Admittance. And if he goes in, over
all the pew doors seems written: s'No
Admittance;" while the minister stands
IN the pulpit, hammering out his little
niceties of belief, pounding out the techni-
calities Of religion, making pins. In the
most practical, common sense way, and
laying aside the non-essentials and the
hard definitions of religion, 90 out on the
God given mission, telling the people
what they need and when and how they
can get it.
Comparatively little effort as vet has
been made TO save that large class of per-
sons in our midst called skeptics, and he
who goes to work here will not be build
ing upon another mans foundation.
There Is a great multitude of them. They
are afraid Of us and our churches. for the
reason we don't know how to treat them.
One Of this class met Christ. and hear
with what tenderness and pathos and
beauty and success Christ dealt with him:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart and with all thy soul and
with all thy mind and with all thv
strength. This is the first commandment:
and the second is like to this. namely.
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thvself.
There IS no other commandment greater
than this. And the scribe said to him.
Wen, master, thou hast said the truth.
for there IS one God, and to love him
with all the heart and all the understand
ing and all the soul and all the strength
IS more than whole burnt offerings and
sacrifices And when Jesus saw that
he answered discreetly he said unto him:
Thou art not far from the kingdom of
God So a skeptic was saved in one
interview But few Christian people
treat the skeptic in that way. Instead of
taking hold of him with the gentle hand
of love we are apt to take him with the
iron pincers of ecclesiasticism.
You would not be so rough on that
man If you knew by what process he had
lost his faith in Christianity. | have
known men skeptical from the fact that
they grew up in houses where religion
was overdone. Sunday was the most
awful day of the week. They had re-
Igion driven into them with a trip
hammer; they were surfeited with prayer
meetings; they We're stuffed and choked
with catechisms; they were often told
they were the worst boys the parents
ever knew because they liked to ride
down hill better than to read Bunyan's
Pilgrims Progress. Whenever father
and mother talked of religion they drew
down the corners of their mouth and
rolled up their eyes. If any one thing
VIII send a boy or girl to perdition sooner
than another, that is it. If | had had
such a father and mother I fear should
have been an infidel.
Others were tripped up of skepticism
from being grievously wronged by some
man who professed to be a Christian.
They had partner in business who turned
out to be a first class scoundrel, though a
professed Christian. Twenty years ago
they lost all faith by what happened in an
oil company which was formed amid the
petroleum excitement. The company
owned no land, or if they did, there was
no sign of oil produced; but the president
OF the company was a Presbyterian elder |
and the treasurer was an Episcopal vestry-
man, and one director was a Methodist |
class leader, and the other directors prom
inent members of Baptist and Congrega-
tiOnal churches. Circulars were gotten |
out telling what fabulous prospects opened |
before this company. Innocent men and |
women who had little money to invest, |
and that little their all, said: Il don't |
know anything about this company, but |
so many good men are at the head of it |
that it must be excellent, and taking stock |
IN 1t must be almost as good as joining |
the church. So they bought the stock, |
and perhaps received one dividend so as |
to keep them still, but after a while they |
found that the company had reorganized, |
and had a different president, and differ |
ent treasurer, and different directors. |
Other engagements or ill health had |
caused the former officers of the company, |
with many regrets, to resign. And all |
that the subscribers of that stock had to |
show for their investment was a beauti- |
fully ornamented certificate Sometimes |
that man looking over his old papers |
comes across that certificate, and it is SO |
suggestive that he vows he wants none of |
the religion that the presidents and trus-
tees and directors of that oil company |
professed. OF course their rejection of |
religion ON such grounds was unphiloso- |
plncal and unwise. am told that one |
third of the United States army desert |
every year, and there are 10000 court |
martial trials every year. Is that any,
thing against the United States govern
ment that swore them in? And if soldiers
or Jesus Christ desert, is that ANYTHING
against the Christianity which they swore |
to support and defend? How do you Judge
OF the currency of country? By a
counterfeit bill! Oh you must have pa
uence with those who have been swindled
by religious pretenders. Live in the pres
ence OF others frank, honest, earnest.
CHRISTIAN life, that they may be attracted
10 the same Saviour upon whom your
hopes depend.
Remember skepticism ALWAYS has some
reason. good or bad, for existing. Goetbe,s
Treligion started when the news came TO
Germany of the earthquake at Lisbon.
Nov l, 1875. That so, 900 people should
have perished in that earthquake and in
the after rising of the Tagus river so
stirred his sympathies that he threw ND
ms belief IN the goodness of God.
Others have gone into skepticisn from
a natural persistence in asking the reason
why. They have been fearfully stabbed
OF the Interrogation point There are so
many things they cannot get explained.
lhey cannot understand the Trinity or
now Tod can be sovereign and yet man a
Lree agent. Neither can l. They say:
a don understand why good God
mould have let sin come into the world
Neitner do l. You say: ''Why was that
mid started in life with such disad-
fantages, while others have all physical
md mental equipment?'' I cannot tel.
They go out of church on Easter morn
ng and say: That doctrine of the res,1r-
ectlon confounded me- So it is to me
mystery beyond unravelment. / un-
ierstand all the processes by which men
'et INTO the dark. / know them all.
ave travelled with burning feet that
lilstered way. The first word that chill
Iren learn to utter is generally papa or